By Bob Wilson Last month I took my 40 Willy’s to a local car show here in the Phoenix area. It was one of those hot days over 100 degrees. I drove it home after the show and parked in the garage. After a couple of hours I went out to the garage and opened… Continue reading Carburetor Percolation

My full custom all steel Willy’s (check my build article) has a RCI fuel cell that originally was polished down. About a year after installation I noticed the smell of fuel coming from the car. Sure enough the fuel cell was weeping along one of the polished down welds. I had thought about re-welding the… Continue reading RCI Fuel Cell Company

Story & Photos By Jim Clark (The Hot Rod MD) Believe it or not, there are government regulations specifying how you must light your vehicle’s rear license plate.  The regulations are part of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS 108- Lamps, reflective devices, and associated equipment).  Lighting the license plate is not actually a safety issue… Continue reading License Plate Lights, Third Brake Lights and Frames

Story & Photos By Jim Clark (The Hot Rod MD) A popper that raises the decklid or opens the door enough to get your fingers in and open them may seem like a small item to be concerned with, but are necessary on many vehicles that have shaved the handles off the doors or decklid. … Continue reading Door and Trunk Poppers

Story & Photos By Jim Clark (The Hot Rod MD) The article “Drive Shaft Harmonics” in Hot Rod MD explains how to set up the pinion angle on a rear end differential. It states in the process that the next step is to measure the rear end pinion angle. “It should be pointing upward towards… Continue reading Setting Pinion Angle

Story & Photos: Jim Clark (The Hot Rod MD) LED Taillights are now available for many of the classic hot rod and muscle cars that we all lust after.  The new LED replacements maintain the original style while greatly improving safety. Original incandescent-style bulb taillights may maintain an authentic look to an early hot rod or muscle… Continue reading LED Tailights

Installing Heat and Sound InsulationBy Jim Clark (The Hot Rod MD) The exhaust on my roadster is routed close to the floorboards creating a potential heat problem. This is not that big a deal in an open car but a lot of heat against the underside is still undesirable. Padding under the carpet would cut… Continue reading Installing Heat and Sound Insulation

Story & Photos By Jim Clark (The Hot Rod MD) Steel Reproduction Bodies are now available for many of the classic hot rod and muscle cars that we all lust for. The list includes: early Fords, Tri-five Chevys, Chevelles, Firebirds, ’47 to ’54 and ’55 to ’57 Chevy pickups, a new Mopar Challenger coupe plus… Continue reading Steel Reproduction Bodies

Story and Photos by Jim Clark, The Hot Rod MD Choosing and mounting headlights on a hot rod is a three-step process. First step is deciding how and where you intend to mount them. Then you will need to select a style of housing. Lastly you will need to decide which type of headlamp that you… Continue reading Headlights Part 3: Choosing and Mounting Them

Story and Photos by Jim Clark, The Hot Rod MD Headlights, technically referred to as headlamps, are standard equipment on any new vehicle and only require that you know where the controls are located for operating them. However, when building or modifying a hot rod knowing how to select new headlights and mount them is necessary.… Continue reading Headlights Part 1: The Basics